Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



E. L. SARGENT.. l Breach-'Loading Pire-Arm Patented Marh 1l 1870'.

@wird 5mm @about @Witte EDWARD LEVI SARGENT, OF WATERTOWN, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 100,455, dated .March l, 1870.

M IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING- FIRE-ARMS.

m The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same. m

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it; known that I, EDWARD LEVI SAnGnsT, of YVatertown, county of Jefferson, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech-Loading Fire-Arms; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact` dcscripton of the same, reference being had to the accom panying drawing.

My invention relates to breech-loading tire-arms, particularly shot and other sporting guns, and it is designed to remler such arms safer and moreconvenient for use than has been heretofore the case, dispensing entirely with spring' catches or locking devices such as are ordinarily employed to hold in position the hinged barrels ot' a break-down gun.

My invention consists-` First, in the combination with the cam and lockingpiece for the barrel or barrels of a device wherel when the cam is turned so as to unlock the barrel or barrels, the said device, through the instrumentality ot 'the'cam, may be caused to lit't the hommeror hammers to half or quarter cock, and thus remove them from contact with the nipples or tiringpins.

Second, in the construction and arrangement of the locking-piece and cam, the device for setting thefhammers at halfor quarter cock, and the hinged or pivoted head of the hammer tor both the shot and the ritie barrel, as hereinafter spccitied.

The nature of my invention, and the manner in which the same'is or may be carried into etfect, will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of that portion of 'a break-down gun to which my iniprovementsgareapplied.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical central section of the same.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section ofthe same on the line x y, tig. 2.

Figure 4 represents in perspective the locking-piece and cam.

Figure 5 represents in perspective and in section the double hammer tinthe ritie and shot Ybarrels.

The barrels A are hinged to the stock, as shown in figs. l and 2, so as to constitute what is generally known Aas a break-downgun. `.Vith the barrels are, of course, combined retractors, which are operated iu-any ordinary or suitable manner. A

elow and between the two barrels A is a. thirdand riiie barrel, B, which can be used whenever occasion requires, as will be presently described. The three bnrrels are solidly limited, and move upon the same hinge or pivot.`

'lfhepivot or pin it upon' which they turn is' held in a. block, C, attached to the barrels, and'havingits rear end recessed out, as shown at b in the drawings, so as to receive the. locking-lip or tiange c of the rotary campiece D.

This piece is mounted upon a vertical axis -in the stock, just; under the rear end of the barrels, and is partially received in the breech E, so that only so mnch otitis exposed as is needed to either lock or tilt the barrels. y

The. locking is effect-ed by the lip or tiange c, which, when the barrels are in position, fits in the reeessb of theblock C, and holds the two portions ofthe gun tirmly and immovably together.

On the other hand, when the piece D -is rotated so as to remove the lip ti'om the recess, and thus unlock the barrels, a'n incline, d, suitably located on the piece I), strikes the lower part of the block, the under side of which is made beveled to facilitate this operation, and.. elevates t-he block, thus starting the barrels, which then continue to tilt by reason of their own weight until their rear ends are fully exposed, as seen in tig. l.

After the cartridges have been inserted in the barrels, or when it is desired to again bring the-barrel ini-a position, their rear ends ar'.: brought down, which causes the lower end ofthe block G tostrike upon the cam surface or incline (l, thus causing the lockingpiece D to rotate as the block descends, until the lip or liange c again enters the recess b, so as to lock-together the stock and barrels.

The movement' of the piece D in unlocking thebarrels is effected by means ofthe lever Il, which is oonnected with the projecting end orjmnnal ofthe piece l), and which is arranged so as to extend along the trigger-guard, or may, it' desired, be used as the trigger-gnard,-a separate guard, in such oase, being dispensed with.

It will be noticed that the locking of the barrels is effected by the cam and locking-piece D, whosemovement is positive, and is not etiected by n'leans of a spring such as is ordinarily employed; and further, it will be seen that the piece D is arranged partlyin the breech, so that only so much of it is exposed as is needed to operate in connection with the barrels, the remaining portion being covered and protected bythe breech. This arrangement is also advantageous in another respect, for it enables me to use the locking and cam-piece Dto directly operate mechanism for setting the hannners at half or quarter cock at the time the barrels arc being tilted, this being a feature quite important and essential n tirearms in which, as in the present instance, percussion-pins are employed.

To this end, I form in the back part ofthe rotating piece D, a cam-groove or recess, e, in which is received one end ota pin, j, which passes through and is capabie ot'sli ling tieely back and forth in the. breech E.

The other end of the pin passes back through the the hammers,- so that the latter breech, and is in contact with an arm, g, extending downward from a horizontal shaft or rod, h, which extends across and projects at each end from the stock, having mounted on cach of its ends a radial finger, li, which is arranged in proximity to, or so as to bear against one of the hammers G G'. Under this arrangement, when the cam and looking-piece D are rotated so as to unlock the barrels, the cam-groove e will three the piu j' back.

The pin in turn will force back the arm g, and this movement of the latter will impart to the shaft h a rotary movement sufficientto cause its radial fingers 'i to force back the A'hammers G to quarter or halt' cock.

The cam-groove e is so located with respect to the locking-lip c and cam d that during the unlocking of the barrels, and before the cam d commences to act, the ,cam-groove will actuate the fingers t to force back l will he lifted from the percussion-pins before the barrels can tilt; a spring 7c ser-ves at all times to hohl the arm gwith a yielding pressure against the pin f.

The above-described arrangement of the devices specified for setting the hammers at half or quarter cock is simple and efficacious; but at the same time it is manifest that the arrangement, as well as 4the construction of the devices, ma-y be greatly varied without interfering with the use of thecam-piece D for the purpose of operating them. c

1t will be noticed that, although the gun has three barrels, there are but two hammers, which are placed opposite the percussion-pins l of the shot barrels. I t

is my object to dispense entirely with" any separate lock and hammer forthe riiie barrel, and to do this,

' and at the same time to admit of the central barrel being fired whenever desired, I combine with one of the hammers, in this case the hammer G, a movable head, n, which can be4 turned so as to he opposite either the percussion-pin lot' the` shot barrel, or the pin 'm ofthe rifle barrel.

This movable heat', as seen in fig. 5, is held to the upper part ofthe hammer by a spindle extending up into a recess in the hammer, and surrounded h va spring which bears at one end against the head of the spindle, and at the other against the bottom of the recess, so as to draw the headclosely up against the face of the hammer.

A small projection, 1, is formed on the face of the hammer, and two depressions, 2, are formed in .the

contiguous face of the head n in such-position that when the head is turned so as 'robe opposite either o t' the pins l or 1n. the projection 1 will enter one ot' the holes 2.

By pressing on the expose-deuil of the spindle, so as to force the head away from the hammer, and thusl remove the projection l from the hole 2 in which it may happen to be, the movable head, hy means nt its thumb-piece n', can be turned to either of the positions seen in iig. 5. It is manifest that the projection and recesses 1 and 2 can be formed and arranged upon the head and hammer differently from what has been represented, and that the construction ofthe movable or rotary 'head can be varied to accord with the positions 'of the tiring pins l m.

Having now 'described my invention, and the manner in which the same is or maybe carried into eii'ect,

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters latent, is f v 1..'lhecombination with the cam audlocking-piece for the barrel or barrels, of a cooking device actuated by said cam, substantially as described, whereby, when the cam is turned so as to unlock the barrel or barrels, the said cocking device may be caused to lift the hammer or hammers from the nipples or firing-pin, suhstantially as shown and set forth.

2. 'lhe combinationwith the cam andloeking-piece of the fingers for lifting the hammers, the shaft upon which saidtingers are mounted, and the arm, sliding rod and spring, by means ot' whichsaid yshaft; is ac tuated, under the arrangement and for operation as set forth. v

3. The combina-tion with the recessed hammer for the shot and rifle barrels, of the movable head, its supporting spindle and spring, and devices for retaining it in position opposite either barrel, said parts being constructed and arranged substantially as set forth.

4. The clutch or iocking-piece for thel barrels, constructed with a. cam or incline to tilt and start the and a cam to operate the device whereby the f barrels, hammers are raised, poses set forth. Y

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification before two subscrihii'ig witnesses.

EDWARD LEVI SARGENT.

substantially as and for the pur- Witnesses:

M. BAILEY, EDM. F. BROWN. 

